A lot of the musicians that I used to crank back in the day are now venturing into content for children. They Might Be Giants, Ziggy Marley, Jewel, and Barenaked Ladies. I guess we’re all growing up. However, we still know how to rock out. Lisa Loeb is included in that crop, and she’s about to launch her second release into the kiddie category. Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ & Shakin’ is a combination book and CD, and it’s coming out on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

Since her 1994 hit “Stay,” the singer has put out eight studio albums, starred in a reality TV show, got married, developed her own eyewear line, and given birth — twice. The 2003 album Catch the Moon and 2008′s Camp Lisa were both geared towards little listeners. Recently, she’s turned out a pair of children’s CDs that come paired with a book that’s super quirky and cute, just like Lisa.

For the new release, Lisa re-teamed with illustrator Ryan O’Rourke, who also worked with the singer on 2011′s Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs. Ryan has perfectly put all of Lisa’s music into images that kids will absolutely adore. It reads like an enchanting, unique set of liner notes. The included CD has 10 songs designed for movin’ & shakin’ — just as the title indicates. Fun for all ages, it’s a mix of kiddie classics and original works with a pop twist.

Lisa Loeb. Image: Kevin Westenburg.

Recently, I got the chance to ask Lisa about her songbook, her career, and her life as a rockin’ mom.

GeekMom: What first motivated you to make music and books for children?

Lisa Loeb: I had an offer from Barnes & Noble to make an album different from my regular grown-up records. I’d always wanted to make a kids’ record, inspired by Really Rosie, Carol King’s grown-up-sounding kids’ record.

Do you consider Songs for Movin’ & Shakin’ to be more of a book or a CD — or both?

LL: That’s a good question. I think they’re companions. The cool thing is that you can listen to the CD without the book or look at the book without the CD. In the end, I hope it’s a jumping off place (no pun intended) for kids to learn the songs and sing them with their friends and family without either!

GM: Do you see more children’s music and books in your future?

LL: I have a bunch of ideas for kids’ projects I’d like to do, so I’ll continue recording for kids. I think having children now, I get what kids like or might want. I made my other CDs without that personal experience with kids, and my inspiration came from my memories of childhood as well as my collaboration with people who do have kids.

GM: How did you go about picking the classic kids’ songs that are included?

LL: I picked songs that I loved when I was younger. I’d get so excited when a camp counselor would start singing “Peanut Butter & Jelly” or “Do Your Ears Hang Low.” I just couldn’t wait to jump in and do all the hand motions and sing with the other kids!

GM: Do you have a favorite children’s book?

LL: I love so many kids’ books. Right now, one of my favorites is one I bought in Boston — Emeraldalicious — which is a cute book about the environment with magical illustrations. I also love Little Blue Truck and Go Dog Go!

GM: I know that you have little kids at home. How do they react to the book and CD?

LL: My daughter is very proud of the books and CDs. We listen to a number of different artists for kids and for grown-ups, but she knows that those are “Mommy’s music” and books. My son just loves music, but he’s only 9 months old, so can’t really tell me about it in words yet.

GM: How does parenthood effect your work process and touring?

LL: Being a parent has really helped me to discipline my days better. With kids’ naps and trying to make sure I get enough sleep myself, I have windows during which to work, and if I miss time with the kids, then I really feel obligated to do my best work when I’m away from them. It’s a good kind of compartmentalization that really benefits the creative process. It makes it more important and special, whereas before, it was a little amorphous and overwhelming. Also, touring has been a bit tough, being away from the kids more than a couple of days doesn’t feel quite right. When I come home, they seem like they’re great — they spend time with their dad and often with a grandparent and their regular nanny and all of their fun activities they normally do. I just don’t love that I can’t see their faces every single day and hug them.

Wondering what the GeekMoms have been reading this month? The list includes an inside peek at Seattle, a National Book Award Winner set in North Dakota, a touch of Neil Gaiman, and a memoir by the daughter of the drunk at the bar.

This month Kelly Knox devoured Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. The novel is set in Seattle, chock full of locales, attitudes, and even a weatherman familiar to any Seattleite. You don’t need to be a Seattle native to enjoy the book, though. The humorous novel is a collection of correspondences gathered by Bernadette Fox’s teen daughter, Bee, as she attempts to put the pieces together to explain her mother’s disappearance. Bernadette is a strong, somewhat strange personality, but she is likable and identifiable. Kelly loved the scene at the International Fountain — where she and her own daughter have visited many times before — as Bee learns that no matter what, her mother always has her back. Inspired by the fictional Bernadette Fox, Kelly wants to give her own daughter that feeling one day.

Laura just finished The Round House, Louise Erdrich’s National Book Award Winner. The book takes place on the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. Thirteen-year-old Joe’s mother is viciously attacked and he seeks justice, understanding, and a place for himself among his storied ancestors. It’s a coming-of-age story as well as a look at a pivotal issue on today’s reservations. This book is more accessible than some of Erdrich’s other critically acclaimed works. In other words, it’s a compelling read.

Laura is currently engrossed in The Midwife’s Tale, first in a series of impeccably researched historical mysteries by Samuel Thomas. This book was inspired by a midwife who lived in 17th century England. The main character, Briget Hodgson, is clever and powerful. She refuses to declare that a condemned woman isn’t pregnant, buying time to clear the woman of murder charges. Thank goodness the author is planning a series.

Sophie has been continuing her quest to read all the official X-Files novels with Skin by Ben Mezrich, a rather gruesome tale that will have you feeling leery toward skin transplants for several weeks after finishing. It sees Mulder & Scully travelling to Thailand to hunt down a mythical monster called, rather obviously, the Skin Eater. Hmmm, I wonder what it does…? Sophie has also made her way through Neil Gaiman’s Calendar of Tales, a series of twelve short stories published for free in conjunction with Blackberry earlier this year. She continued the Gaiman theme by beginning Stardust and is looking forward to beginning her book club’s latest choice, Stephanie Meyer’s The Host, very soon.

On the recommendation of her friend, author Jennifer Margulis, Kris bought Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar by Michelle O’Neil and devoured it overnight. The memoir is a touching, heart-wrenching and yet uplifting look at growing up with an alcoholic father and a reminder that (as the subtitle says) for every regular manning a barstool there’s likely a family at home. In the book, “Janie” grows from preschool age to adulthood, wondering what she did to incite her father’s wrath, wishing that her mother would – just once – protect her from her father, and finding tiny moments of serenity when everything seemed okay.

What caught my attention were his awesome little geek books. They looked like a lot of fun and something I could see my little one reading. The books are parodies of classic children’s tales such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

My favorite of the set is by far Nighty Night Wampa and If You Give a Jawa a Broken Droid. The stories have a child-like magic to them and felt like they should have a place in the Star Wars Universe.

For Doctor Who fans, 11 Little Doctors was a cute parody on the tale of 10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Goodnight Sweetie, Cyberman’s Picnic and his most recent book But Not the Dalek are also wonderful parodies of with a Dr. Who touch.

Lily and Aby enjoying their books \ Image: Charles Thurston

Another classic tale he touches on is The Hobbit. If You Give a Hobbit a Ring is a cute introduction to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and he does a nice job putting it together in only a few pages.

In addition to these little books, he also makes and sells other great pieces of art.

My favorite from Mega Con is his Live, Laugh, Love piece that sold out in ten minutes of the first day of the convention. Hopefully he can find some more frames to make another one. I’d love this piece for my office.

Actress Julianne Moore has launched a new companion app for her Freckleface Strawberry book series. Image: Peter Lindbergh.

Julianne Moore is an Oscar-nominated actress, an accomplished author, a mom, and yes — a freckleface.

Long before Moore was known for her work in films such as Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, The Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and Game Change, she was a little girl with the nickname. As an adult, she parlayed those childhood taunts into the book Freckleface Strawberry, which includes illustrations by LeUyen Pham. To date, Freckleface Strawberry has had three adventures as well as a full-length musical.

Now, the little red-haired girl is bringing her sweet messages to the digital masses. All three Freckleface Strawberry books just launched in the the e-book format. To accompany the character’s digital debut, Moore and Nymbly are also introducing the Freckleface Strawberry Monster Maker app.

Designed for the iPad and iPad mini, the new app has Freckleface Strawberry helping kids make new, furry friends, by creating their very own on-screen monster. If you’re familiar with the books, the app makes perfect sense. Otherwise, it’s cute and allows users to get creative, share pics with friends and family, and more.

I got the chance to talk to Moore about the new app, her work, her life as a mom, and her now-famous nickname.

GM: The books have actually been out for a few years now, but what made you first decide to write Freckleface Strawberry?

Julianne Moore: My son was 7 at the time and he was getting his two front teeth. He didn’t like them at all and would say stuff like, “Since I got my haircut, I don’t like how my ears are.” He suddenly became very self-conscious. I remembered when I was 7, I had this nickname “Freckleface Strawberry” and I found it so humiliating. Of course, now I laugh at those awful names. So that’s what this book is about. It’s how those things in childhood that bother us often don’t go away when you grow up. I still have red hair and freckles, but they matter less because you have more things to think about. You have a family, you have a marriage, you have a job, you have friends and interests; having freckles and red hair goes to the bottom of the list in terms of things that we care about. That was the inspiration for writing that first book. Then it was so much fun, I wrote two more!

GM: Did you originally envision it as a series — and a musical?

Moore: The first time I wrote it, it was sort of that one story and then very quickly, the second one followed. Even before I had published the first one, I had written the second one. Then, it took me a really long time to write the third one! I kept making these jokes to my husband [Bart Freundlich], who’s a writer, that I was blocked.

GM: Do you plan to continue the series?

Freckleface Strawberry. Image: LeUyen Pham/Bloomsbury USA.

Moore: I don’t know — maybe. I have another book actually coming out; not with Bloomsbury, but Chronicle, in September. It’s called My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me. That’s a book about the experience of growing up with a mom from another country. My mother was from Scotland.

It wasn’t really an intentional thing to be in the children’s book world, but it’s become something that I really love doing. It’s really fun and the app is an extension of that. I wanted to create something that was like the book and complemented the book.

The app is sort of a continuation of how in Dodgeball she [Freckleface Strawberry] has that monster. She talks about the monster and why she has the monster. The monster is in her imagination and he keeps her company, plays games with her, and cheers her up. He’s her pal and he’s obviously what’s inside of her. So I wanted to talk about that with kids and say, “What does your monster look like?” — and you’ll able to make it and take a picture. Also, I wanted to create something that parents wouldn’t feel bad about giving their kids to play with in the backseat of the car or a restaurant. It’s an extension of this book and the child-centric world that they create. I hope that I’ve accomplished that. It was a lot of fun to do.

GM: You mention monsters in the book and the app. What’s the significance there? Or do you just think that kids love playing monsters?

Moore: I think that kids like to play monsters. In Dodgeball, Freckleface Strawberry is afraid of balls, but she’s not afraid of monsters, her imagination or the dark. And this kid, who seems very scary and loves balls, turns out to be afraid of monsters. She has to say to him, “Hey it’s not real; it’s just me. I’m the monster.” It’s just a way to talk about fears. Also, your inside monster can help you be brave or it can just keep you company, be your friend. It’s just part of yourself and your imagination.

GM: Are these the types of games that you used to play as a kid?

Moore: Well, I hated dodgeball. That’s sort of the thing I talk about with kids, talking about different fears. Then in Best Friends Forever, there are two different friends that have become best friends. They’re told that they can’t be friends because they are too different, but then they discover that they can because they’re two human beings. The books are obviously based somewhat on my experiences growing up. I always say that Best Friends Forever is a metaphor for marriage. However, they take place in a child-centric world where the kids figure out the answers to their own problems.

GM: So wait, does that mean that you married Windy Pants Patrick?

Moore: I didn’t, but I married someone who loves balls. Dodgeball is dedicated to Bart. He loves to play ball. It’s just one of those things where we’ll do stuff that I could see Windy Pants Patrick and Freckleface Strawberry doing, doing stuff with each other and sometimes doing stuff that the other one likes. And that’s OK to do; that’s what friends do.

GM: Was there a real Windy Pants Patrick?

Moore: The character is actually based on a special-ed kid that I knew when I was on the playground in Lincoln, Nebraska. My school was very forward thinking; this would have been like 1968. We all played on the same playground. There was an elementary school and a special-ed department for kids that were developmentally delayed and had other disabilities. Because we were all exposed to one another… at first it seemed very different. There was one very big boy who was older than me that I used to play with. He really changed my notion of what a disability was and how you interact with people forever. It was really eye opening for me. Windy Pants Patrick is not developmentally delayed, but he is based on a friend that I had that seemed very scary and that was so not the case.

The Freckleface Strawberry Monster Maker app is available for the iPad and iPad mini. Image: Nymbly.

GM: With the nickname and all, did you feel bullied as a kid?

Moore: I wasn’t bullied. Kids don’t want to be different. I didn’t want to have freckles. Where I was growing up at the time, there weren’t a lot of freckly kids. Everything that was said in the book like, “What are those?” and “How did you get them?” — those were all things that were said to me. It was stuff that would make kids uncomfortable, but it’s interesting. Have you read the reviews of that book [Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy] about bullying that just came out? There were a few and I’m just paraphrasing, but one of the things that she [author Emily Bazelon] said is that we’re kind of misnaming what bullying is. There are ways that children treat each other that are unkind and there’s teasing and then there’s genuine abuse and real bullying. There are lots of different categories for what happens with kids. I certainly didn’t experience bullying. I think I experienced teasing, which is a different kind of thing.

GM: Well how did you overcome all of that?

Moore: It’s the same thing that happens in the book. How does a 7-year-old solve a problem like this? You think, “I’m going to get rid of my freckles.” In her experience, the way she got rid of them was to cover them up. In covering the freckles up, she completely disappeared as a kid and no one could see her. When she goes away, her friends miss her. Her experience with her freckles are not the same as everyone else’s experience. These things seem problematic, but at the end of the day, who cares about having a million freckles when I have a million friends?

GM: What role do freckles play in your life and work today?

Moore: Hopefully very little! Our physiognomy obviously plays a part in who we are. If you’re extra tall or extra short, big or little or freckly; all of those things are going to create some kind of image in the world. Hopefully, we have all learned to look beyond and that doesn’t become the defining issue — our physicality is not the defining issue.

GM: So you’ve never come up for a role and had the freckles be an issue?

Moore: I don’t know; they wouldn’t tell me that. But I’m sure I have. Sometimes somebody says so-and-so is not the right age or too tall or this or that, but all of it’s subjective.

GM: I know that your kids are older now, but do they even care that their mom is an Oscar-nominated actress, an author and all of these other wonderful things?

Moore: My son said the most wonderful thing to me the other night when we were talking about stuff that we need to have in the fridge. I had run out of turkey and I needed to make my daughter’s sandwich for a field trip and was like “darnit!” He said something about, “Oh that’s ok, mom. You kind of have other stuff to do; you’re busy.” And I thought that was really sweet and I said that I try to do a good job and maybe I would do a better job if I wasn’t doing all of this work. Then he said, “I can’t imagine having a mom that didn’t work.” I think they both have an appreciation for what I do and what their dad does and what their futures hold, in terms of work. We’ve always stressed to them that work is about being able to make money and take care of yourself, but if you’re lucky enough, it’s also a form of delight, expression and the way that you live your life. That’s what I want for them. I want them to find things that they find joy in doing.

GM: Do you have a favorite children’s book?

Moore: That’s tough; there are too many. There’s one that I read that’s fairly new, by a writer who’s written so many things. Do you know Brundibár? It’s by Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner. I love it. I just think it’s endlessly inspiring; beautifully illustrated, incredible story, very moving, a lot of historical context, shocking and surprising. What’s amazing about it is how kids respond to it. It’s just a brilliant book.

Tears in Rain is based on the movie Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Some reviews have labeled Tears in Rain as glorified fan fiction, while others have called it a rich complement. Either way, I’m the living proof that you don’t need to have watched the movie or read the classic sci-fi novel to enjoy Tears in Rain, so don’t let that deter you.

The book take place on Earth in 2109. The population is mainly divided between humans and replicants, lab-grown humans who are born with adult bodies to serve humans in the most undesirable jobs. The replicants are only committed to serve two years, after which they are free to spend the rest of their lives as they please. All remaining eight years of it. You see, replicants inexplicably die of the same disease when they reach ten years of age.

In order to provide for a healthy purpose in life, replicants are programmed with fake memories by writers appropriately called memorists. This becomes an important part of the plot, as rogue memorists appear to be involved in a huge supremacist conspiracy theory against replicants.

The book follows the story of Bruna Husky, a seemingly-30-year-old-but-really-only-6-year-old combat replicant who makes a living as a private detective. Bruna gets hired to solve the murder of a replicant, but finds herself involved in a web of replicant deaths, replicants who evidently all succumbed to the same murderous rage before committing suicide. The story is part detective story, part science fiction, and part existential crisis.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed the book but the ending left me disappointed. The book has such a wonderful build up, then in the last few pages the author tell you “who done it” and ties up loose ends (romantic, existential, or otherwise). It felt rushed and oversimplified.

But that’s not to say this is overall a negative review for the book. I really did enjoy the story up until the ending, especially the cast of complex characters. Bruna is a strong female lead who’s endearingly imperfect. She is a combat replicant so you know she was engineered to be fearless and forthcoming, but she is also crushed by the weight of her own falsified past and her limited lifespan. She is smart, daring, resources, and above all, she’s surprisingly human.

Wondering what the GeekMoms have been reading this month? The list includes some dashed hopes, a historical crime thriller, a little Neil Gaiman, some middle age fiction, and a romance that blends a native American tribe with a genteel family in early America.

Laura has been on a novel-binge lately. She’s run across two she describes as fantastic. She says Truth in Advertising by John Kenney is sharp and funny. It’s follows a man whose work life is absorbed (hah) by making a diaper commercial and whose personal life is barely perceptible. The passages skewering corporate absurdities and urban trendiness are hysterical. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a mysterious friendship between a teenaged girl and a stranger. A key plot point is AIDS, but there are many other layers having to do with art, sibling relationships, love, and adventure. and being true to oneself. The subject matter sounds grim but the book isn’t.

Amy dove right into her review copy of Adam Rex‘s Unlucky Charms the moment she opened the box, given her recent obsession with the book Chloe and the Lionby Mac Barnett and yes, Adam Rex. She hadn’t read any of his middle grade work until this title. About 130 pages in, she thought to herself that it was rather like reading David Foster Wallace for kids, but without all the footnotes. She was fascinated by the characters but had trouble keeping all the leprechauns, goblins, pixies, kids, and jerky man-rabbits straight, and thought that what this book could use some footnotes. This was also around the time she discovered that Unlucky Charms is the second in a series, The Cold Cereal Saga. Now she’s pausing to go pick up book one, Cold Cereal. Duh. It pays to read the cover.

Image: Henry Holt and Co.

This month, during her Air War College break, Patricia has been reading Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Foreverby Bill O’Reilly and Martin Duggard. Perhaps some of you saw the docu-drama on the National Geographic Channel over President’s Day weekend? This book turns the well-known account of the Abraham Lincoln assassination into more of a crime-thriller novel, stitching together years of research and accounts of the days and hours leading up to the assassination, as well as the days between the assassination itself and John Wilkes Booth’s death almost two weeks later. She’s just about finished with the book (Lincoln is dead, Booth is still on the run), and has enjoyed it very much. It truly does read like a crime thriller. A touch that Patricia really enjoyed was how every chapter ends with a line such as “Lincoln has but twelve days to live.” Closer to his death it becomes “Lincoln has nine hours to live.” After all, we know how the story goes, right?

Sophie has managed to read quite a lot this month, beginning with a re-read of the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins for her book club. She has been making her way through a number of graphic novels for Comic Book Corner including Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and several Twilight Zone adaptations. She has also been reading The Official Illustrated Guide to The Twilight Saga which fleshes out the backgrounds of interesting characters who were sadly overlooked in favor of packing in more Bella and Edward. Finally she has just finished reading her book club’s latest pick, Life, Death and Vanilla Slicesby Jenny Eclair, a dark look at life in England over the past several decade through experiences of one family.

Image: Delta

After finding a forgotten book recommendation in her purse, Kris Bordessa picked up Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati. Set in the late 1700s in early America, this piece of historical fiction brings together a genteel English family and the Mohawk Nation as Elizabeth Middleton, newly arrived in the wilds of New York, stands for what’s right – and the man she loves. The story is told passionately and reminded Kris very much of The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, which she loved. Imagine her surprise when she finds that characters from Gabaldon’s series make an appearance in Donati’s book. It was like getting a glimpse of an old friend. Kris already has the next book in the series, Lake in the Clouds, on order.

The book is divided into chapters that focus on different aspects of the action movie genere. It starts off with classics like The Magnificent Seven and Dirty Harry and then moves on to buddy cop films, sequels and parodies.

There’s release information and details about who wrote, directed and starred in each movie, but the really fun part is reading Katrina’s take on why a given movie is worthy of glory. She gives you the fan perspective on just what makes an action movie go from meh to OMG.

It’s also loaded with full-color pictures that capture memorable moments from your favorite action films. There are cops and soldiers and cowboys and ninjas, all in their most action-filled glory.

Katrina also devotes full chapters to sci-fi, martial arts and video games so she really covers all the bases when it comes to action. You even get a little DVD treat in the back of the book with the martial arts spy spoof The Impossible Kid.

If you’re a fan of action films, then pick up a copy of Action Movie Freak ($22.99) for a trip down movie memory lane. It’ll have you filling your rental queue with your favorite action films and lining up to see A Good Day to Die Hard with the rest of the action movie freaks this weekend.

A peek at the possibilities in Quest for the Lost Treasure. Image: Gerry Gaston/Laura Livi at Blue Monkey Studio.

When I was a kid, Choose Your Own Adventure books were all the rage. Typically, you could spend hours trying to figure out which way to take the adventure — and pondering the possibilities that were left unexplored.

The series is still going strong. However, the idea has also spun off into something called Choose Your Own Path. While there’s no connection between the two offerings, it’s basically the same concept. It’s also just as much fun as I remember.

Writer Gerry Gaston has geared his adventure towards buccaneers ages 3 to 8. Currently, the book is available in both paperback and Kindle formats. I chose the Kindle version, since it was quick to download and only 99 cents at the time. Typically, it sells for $1.99. However, Gaston will be offering the book as free download all weekend long (February 9-10 only).

Quest for the Lost Treasure is available in paperback and Kindle Fire versions. Image: Gerry Gaston/Laura Livi at Blue Monkey Studio.

Also, I’m always looking for new Kindle titles to share with my 6-year-old, and he was completely thrilled at the concept of choosing the path for the young on-screen pirate.

The book is written in the first-person, with the reader trying to track down the treasure that got pilfered by a bunch of thieving pirates. Isn’t that always the way with pirates? From there, you’ll have to decide whether you want to go behind closed doors, up ropes, down stairs, into a hatch, and much more. Because it’s a Choose Your Own Path book, there are a lot of different options.

For my 6-year-old, this book was perfect. Not only does it involve pirates, but the imagery is bright and well done. Also, it was easy to read and operate. Occasionally, he would get stuck and needed my help to find the alternate path. However, that didn’t keep him from opening the app on his own and going for another round later.

Quest for the Lost Treasure is a great little eBook worth checking out. (Don’t forget, it’s free all weekend!) The eBook is formatted in color and you’re going to need a touchscreen to navigate through it.

For now, it’s limited to Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD devices. However, it’s also selling as a paperback, with an MSRP of $12.95.

The Internet is such a giving thing. Another book site for us to love? Sign me up!

Launched on Tuesday, Bookish is like the love child of Goodreads and Amazon. Like Goodreads, Bookish allows you to rate books with a star system, review them, and add them to a virtual bookshelf. It expands upon that, though, with a chance to order books directly from the site (prices are discounted, but not as deeply as on Amazon). With the intent to connect readers with books and authors, Bookish also offers exclusive content and author interviews.

Maybe that’s why I liked the book, and happily, the movie too. Like R, I try my best, but making connections, even freakin’ obvious Shakespearean ones (how could I miss that in the book?!) can be really hard. Connecting to people? Even harder. I love one of the opening shots of the film where R is reminiscing about what the world was like before he was a zombie, picturing the airport filled with people “spending time together.” But all the people he’s imagining are looking at their cell phones.

In my previous post, I said I wasn’t going to read the book until after the movie, since the trailer caught my eye. But I’ve never been known as a patient person. A week was too long for the story, so I bought a copy and read it. Very sweet, with a straightforward storyline; perfect for a movie. Not too many side-plots, though I knew the relationship between Perry and R was not going to make it on the big screen.

I wondered how the voice of R would come through. There was some voice over, not too much, but I found those parts my favorite. Maybe because I could relate. It’s one thing to read R’s voice in the novel, but seeing that blank stare on the screen, with an intelligent and very frustrated voice behind it, was perfect. How often do I have a similar look and frustration level with my inability to say what I mean? I won’t answer that question.

I did miss R’s voice, however. The gradual waking up of this dead man was the point of the novel, the love story was the point of the movie. Overall, the movie was entertaining, although certainly no prize winner. The makeup bothered me. It was inconsistent and obvious. The zombies did not look dead enough. If the producers were worried about making Nicholas Carodoc Houl look bad, they shouldn’t have.

On the way out my friend said awkwardly, “Well, that actor certainly has grown up since About A Boy. I mean, he looked … he was….”

“He’s hot. Yes. You can say that. We may be the age of his mother, but you can call him ‘hot’.”

The bonies were creepy, but not the most realistic special effects. The human settlement was way too settled that soon after an apocalypse (not that I know from experience, but…) I liked the casting of M, but I was disappointed that Nora was not ethnic with curly hair. (I’m always looking for diversity in main characters.) The father (played by John Malkovich) was lame in the movie, and we had a Hollywood ending on that storyline.

Speaking of lame however, I had one wish going into the theater. “Please don’t make Julie lame. Please don’t make Julie lame.” The slow motion kick-ass with a gun scene where R first falls in love is funny, sweet, and she’s not lame! Yay!

The movie makers really missed it on one scene, though. While reading the book, there is a part where R takes a shower, his first since becoming a zombie, and the years of dirt, grime, dried blood, and everything else you can imagine is cleaned revealing the scars and bullet wounds that can never be scrubbed away. I thought, “that will be the most beautiful scene in the movie.” Yeah, no. They skipped right to clean skin with scars and bullet wounds. It was enough to make my friend make sounds of sympathy, but there are few times when a movie can outshine a book, and this very visual metaphor was a missed opportunity.

Warm Bodies was a romantic comedy unlike any other I’ve seen. For those who have read the book, Hoult embodied the lovable monster with empathy and humor. For those who didn’t, you can be introduced to a sweet story of what it means to be human. My friend and I both enjoyed it. So, if you’re in the mood for some zombie apocalyptic love, check it out.

Here’s what we’ve been reading this month. The books include some Stephanie Plum, a little something on zombie wars, a book about the love of books in the digital age, a popular Young Adult series by Kristin Cashmore, some classic Muriel Spark, a journey to a strange post-apocalyptic world, a superhero novel funded via kickstarter and some romance novels.

What have you read lately?

If Kelly Knox has one guilty pleasure when it comes to books, it’s definitely the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Although the books follow the same formula, with little to no overall plot advancement between each installment, Kelly can’t resist picking up the newest one when it is released. This month Kelly finally had a chance to read Notorious Nineteen, which follows bounty hunter Stephanie Plum as she looks for more shady characters who skipped out on their bonds, including a patient who mysteriously disappears from his hospital room without a trace. Like every Plum novel, there is no shortage of laughs and romance, mixed with just a touch of danger. The novels border on the comical and ridiculous, but sometimes that just what you need to add some sunshine to a rainy day.

You may know your Star Wars history, but do you know how events in the real world helped form the one you saw on the movie screen? Star Wars And History is an in-depth look at how George Lucas drew on real people and events from history to create one of the most beloved franchises of all time.

Authors Nancy R. Reagin and Janice Liedl bring both a scholarly and fan-based point of view to this book. Reagin is Professor of History and Women’s & Gender studies at Pace University while Liedl is Associate Professor of History at Laurentian University. Both combine that scholarly background with an interest and active participation in Star Wars fandom.

Attractive new boxed set of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, from Viz Media. Page size is 10 x 7 inches. (Photo: Viz)

Manga lovers can enjoy Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, in a beautiful, satisfying, indulgent new boxed set. This edition comes as two large hardcover books in a slipcover box, from Viz Media. Nausicaä’s long, epic story was earlier published in seven softcover volumes, collecting the manga series that Miyazaki wrote back in his early days in animation. The story is now well known, following Miyazaki’s rise to fame as the writer/director of animated films such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Many American readers feel familiar with the story from the English-language movie released in 2005, but the movie only covers approximately 210 pages of the 865 pages of these books, plus the movie’s plot is much simpler and more condensed than the approximately first ¼ of the manga series (or this boxed set). Miyazaki wrote the manga over 12 years; he wrote the Japanese film and it was released in the early years while writing the manga, so when the film was completed, the manga’s story was not yet complete. It is a bit like comparing Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring to the complete Lord of the Rings.

I lived a lonely geeky existence once upon a time. When I heard Lord of the Rings was coming to the theaters, I wanted to go, but had no one to go with. A friend of my sister-in-law said he would go with me, but ONLY if I read all three Lord of the Rings books ahead of time. I love fantasy books. I had been meaning to read them anyway. I enjoyed The Hobbit as a kid, even did a report on it in high school. I was looking forward to it. No problem.

Ugh. It took me an entire summer, and half a dozen books as “breaks” to get through the trilogy. Tolkien’s epic prose was foreign to my modern fantasy reader’s ears. How long before I realized Sauramon and Sauron were different characters? (That explained a lot…) And speaking of names, holy crap! So many look almost exactly alike. Where was the storyteller’s voice from The Hobbit? I felt like I was slogging through a textbook of mythology.

I did get through it; the final book grabbed my attention as characters and plot points came together. Seeing the movie, fresh from the books made me have quite a number of opinions. But the biggest one was this: THANK YOU PETER JACKSON! I was so much more entertained watching the movies than reading the books. And stories are foremost about entertainment.

Whoa, there! Back up a minute before you pounce on me. Before anyone says anything about stories being about learning and transmitting cultural ideas, think back on most of your classroom experience. If the teacher didn’t entertain you in some way, you didn’t learn anything. All storytellers, no matter what the form, MUST entertain or every bit of learning is for naught. As a storyteller myself I am desperate to share the worlds in my head, but if I can’t entertain while I’m doing it, no one will listen. Tolkien failed as an entertainer for me, regardless of the fact that his world and characters were so rich. Jackson had me enthralled, my imagination sparked after the house lights came on, and I even obsessed about the character of Frodo (or maybe it was just Elijah Wood…)

The key there is what format engaged me. Fairy tales, books and comics have all been redone as movies over the years with varying success for different people. Here are two more movies that I found better than the book:

In between holiday activities and prepping for the zombie apocalypse, here’s what we’ve been reading this month. What have you read lately?

Laura highly recommends Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Set in the late 1980′s, this book is told through the eyes of a teenaged girl who had a close relationship with an uncle who recently died of AIDS. A few days after his funeral she receives a strange package, an artful teapot she and her uncle always used when they got together. It was sent by a mysterious man who asks to be her friend. And so begins an unusual relationship that teaches the girl, her family, and this man more than they might have imagined about forgiveness, love, adventure, and being true to oneself. Compellingly written and insightful, this story lingers. She’s also started reading, with great anticipation, The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and co-author Stephen Baxter. It’s packed with nice juicy chunks of science stretched into scifi. It all starts with an invention called a “stepper,” a device simple enough to be made by a child and cheap enough to run on potato power. Once the plans are on the web, children become the most eager adopters of the technology. It allows them to step into the multiverse. Entire mobs of street children from poor areas start disappearing into parallel worlds. Eventually an expedition is sent to the farthest reaches, the “long earth.” One of the main characters on that trek is a human reincarnated into a computer. Not your typical Pratchett book, but chances are it’ll make the reader want his or her own potato-powered stepper.

Rebecca Angel finished up two good books this month. Many years ago, Rebecca’s aunt gave her A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux as “a good romance” and although skeptical, Rebecca gave it a chance and really liked it. She recommended it for her book club as a light holiday season read, and can’t wait for the discussion next week. Rereading it was just as delightful. While at her in-laws for Christmas, Rebecca went for a deeper non-fiction book about spirituality called Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner. She really likes his writing style which is humorous and clever, while talking about serious theological questions. It was a good read, and she’s recommending it to her teenage daughter as an easy introduction to many religious practices. Right now, Rebecca is starting another book recommended by her aunt: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. She’s heard a lot about this book on NPR, and other people in her life, and has high hopes.

Photo courtesy of Baen.

Corrina went to a book signing for Lois McMaster Bujold in November and came away with a signed copy of Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, the latest in Bujold’s galactic Vorkosigan series. Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance was one of those books that when she finished, she hugged it, and immediately began re-reading. Part of it is that this is the long-awaited book about Ivan Vorpatril, a supporting character through much of the Vorkosigan series. Part of it was that it brought back many characters she loved and added much more to them. And part of it was that this is a science fiction book that has, as its core, an “accidental marriage” plot. Great writing + favorite characters + awesome science fiction setting on the world of Barrayar + romance = reader bliss.

For those unfamiliar with the Vorkosigan series, it begins with Cordelia’s Honor, as the clash between the cultures of a free spirited, science-based world clashes with a militaristic, paternalistic once-isolated world, personified in the two lead characters. Some people have compared this to David Weber’s Honor Harrington series, but Corrina says the Vorkosigan series is deeper thematically, the characters are far more shaded and three-dimensional, and there’s Miles. Miles Vorkosigan is hard to describe but just think of Tyrion from George R.R. Martin’s series and that provides a start. The very first person to recommend these books to her was a pre-Harry Dresden Jim Butcher, many years ago on a Yahoo message board that no longer exists. Butcher was right back then. Go read these. The full collection of Bujold books can be seen at the Baen site.

Looking ahead to springtime planting, Kris has been spending much of her reading time thumbing through the latest Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, marking the varieties that she’d like to add to her garden. When she starts to fear for her bank account, she puts the catalog away and is making her way through Roma by Steven Saylor. A novel of ancient Rome, the saga takes readers from its beginnings as a salt route in 1000 BC to its eventual place in history as a powerful empire. Genealogists will appreciate the way this story weaves generation after generation together as the political structure of Roma shifts from a simple tribal system to a more complicated republic. It’s an interesting story but a bit slow going, so Kris plans to pick up something light and easy to start the new year.

Sophie is currently reading The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonassen, the first book chosen by the newly formed book club in her village. It has a similar vibe to Forrest Gump as protagonist Allan finds himself at the periphery of many major world events in the past century. These stories alternate with Allan’s current life as he finds himself on the run during a series of increasingly crazy events about which he is surprisingly blasé.

Sophie bought her husband Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown for Christmas which has been entertaining her whole family, and she received Firefly: A Celebration for Christmas and is looking forward to getting started on it in the new year.

A new book of fairy tales by Philip Pullman? Yes, please. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version is an amazing book, but in surprising ways. If you expected a book of fairy tales from the author of His Dark Materials to be full of new yarns or clever, twisted retellings of traditional Brothers Grimm stories, you’re going to be disappointed. Pullman actually gives fairly direct renditions of stories like “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella” (not the Disney versions — there are blinded princes and mutilated feet in these stories). He also includes many stories that have fallen out of popularity, like “The Donkey Cabbage” and “The Girl with No Hands.” But overall, this is a wonderful book of fairy tales for adults who love to read.

Now, Pullman insists that this isn’t intended to be canonical text. It can’t be. The stories come from traditional folk tales and oral traditions, and it’s translated into English, so that adds a further layer of interpretation. He further borrows from other sources, so this isn’t a strict interpretation, even though it feels very much like one. The tone seemed just about right for the stories, however. A neutral storyteller telling the deeds, both good and evil — and the consequences. If you want to read the stories to each other or to your children, you can do so. (I’d suggest pre-reading.) Better yet, read the story and then retell it orally and without reference, the way folk stories were intended to be told. The poor mouse may not always have to be eaten by the cat.

The book provides wonderful context for each story, which is probably the biggest reason I love it. After each story, Pullman has extensive commentary, including historical context for interpreting the story, similar stories, and notes about common variations. A lot of tales have changed over time, and how we view them can be very different from how contemporaries did. “Rapunzel,” for instance, was changed from the original story, where parsley was the sought-after herb. The significance is that parsley was believed at the time to induce abortions. That certainly puts a new twist on why Rapunzel’s parents would agree to exchange a baby to a witch in exchange for something from the garden.

Overall, this book is crack for library nerds, historians, and fairy tale fans. You’ll devour it. It’s a wonderful way to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the original publication by The Brothers Grimm. I recommend buying it on e-book and reading it from a tablet, because that’s technology that still has a touch of magic.

It is hard to express my complete enjoyment while reading Cold Days: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Basically, I want to have Jim sit next to me the whole time so I can hug him, read out loud great passages, giggle at all the jokes, and hug him some more.

I never want a good series to end. However, without naming names, we all know authors who should have ended it while it was still good. Luckily, Jim (may I call you Jim?) is keeping my favorite series going, and making it better and better. His writing, his character development, his depth of emotion, have only improved with each book. The great thing about a series is that certain plot lines can take several books to pan out. I LOVE THAT. It means the author is dedicated to the series, and putting his whole big, beautiful brain to work, just for my enjoyment! (well, and other people too.)

Cold Days is the fourteenth book of the series (not counting a book of short stories) and it’s hard to talk about without giving away so much of what has happened overall.

In this book, Harry Dresden, a wizard in modern-day Chicago, is joining the battle against a horde of otherworldly creatures before they let loose an ancient prison of really horrible creatures that he happens to be in charge of. And he’s battling an annoying gang of fae creatures who keep getting in the way. And he’s trying to avoid a battle with someone whose job it is to battle him. And he’s trying to rebuild a life when he lost pretty much everything in the last two books. And he’s trying to reconnect with those who love him, even though he knows he’s turning into a monster. But he’s really battling a bargain he made with a really, really bad-ass queen of the faerie, who now owns him.

If you don’t feel like starting at the beginning, start with the previous book Ghost Story. which is a good overview of Harry’s life so far (since he’s dead…) and when you have enjoyed that book so much you want to know how it all got that way, start at the beginning: Storm Front.

Although I got this book out of my library, I’m slowly purchasing the series so I can reread at my liesure.

No Starch Press recently sent a couple of Lego-related books my way. My son immediately absconded with them, so instead of writing a review myself, I’ve asked him to share his impressions. Here he is:

I’ve had some of No Starch Press’s other books, such as Forbidden Lego and The Unofficial Lego Builder’s Guide which were both great but I wasn’t sure what to expect with The Lego Adventure Book by Megan Rothrock. When I finally got my hands on the book, I figured out what all the fuss on the internet was about. I opened The Lego Adventure Book expecting a very basic look at the AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) world, with simple creations and strictly legal Lego-approved techniques. I misjudged this book on that front.

Almost as soon as you open the book, the building instructions begin. The author offers step by step instructions on how to build a variety of projects starting with a fun Lego idea lab. Once you’re past that, you’re soon wading knee deep through AFOL-style builds ranging from medieval to sky-fi to town themes. MOCs (My Own Creations) featured in the book are from a variety of different AFOLs from around the globe, a few of whom I’ve had the chance to speak with through my involvement in the online Lego community.

Peter Reid shares his style of building and Jon Hall shares his Sky-Fi Phoenix model. Moritz Nolting shows readers how to build his Power Miners Jackknife MOC and Katie Walker teaches you just how cheesy building mosaics can be!

Image: No Starch Press

While some of the builds in The Lego Adventure Book are simple, the majority of them would be enjoyable to even the most hard-core fan of Lego. If you’re a parent looking for an excuse to play with your childhood Lego again, look no further - The Lego Adventure Book is all you’ll need!

For more skilled builders, check out The Unofficial Technic Builder’s Guideby Pawel “Sariel” Kmiec. I’m no expert with Technic, but this book boggles the mind! The book starts you out with simple mechanisms and rapidly advances into outrageous suspension/Gearbox/drive-train combos. If you’re well versed in how Lego tends to work – or learn quickly – you’ll do just fine with it. Even if you’re an accomplished builder, some of the techniques that Sariel shares are sure to expand your repertoire as a builder.

You’ve likely started your holiday shopping, or at least feel guilty about not starting your shopping. But the whole process is a lot less work since the advent of internet commerce. Books are perfect for purchasing through this conduit, since one size fits all and they aren’t that fragile. Here are the GeekMom writers’ recommendations for books to buy your loved ones this holiday season. There are a very large number of them, so be sure to click to see them all!

Image: Potter Craft

Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families by Natania Barron, Kathy Ceceri, Corrina Lawson, and Jenny Williams
$19.99
First on our list of recommendations is the brand new Geek Mom book, written by GeekMom’s four editors! A great gift for any geeky mom (or, let’s face it, dad) on your list, this book is chock full of projects, activities, essays, history, and factoids about the world in which geeky moms reside.

Image: Candlewick

Around the World: Three Remarkable Journeys by Matt Phelan
$24.99
A graphic novel representation of the true story of three incredible journeys around the world, Around the World is a delight for history buffs, adventuresome souls, and those who appreciate fine illustration. This book is a great read for kids and adults.

Since having children I have enjoyed sharing my own favorite childhood stories with my boys, I have also enjoyed discovering new stories with them. Shortly after having my first son in 2009 I discovered, with the help of Grandma, a story called The Gruffalo, which was then celebrating its tenth year of publication. If you know our family, then this is the first book your child will receive as a present from us. If they like it as much as we do, it will be followed with The Gruffalo’s Child, then some sort of game or stuffed animal. It is one of those stories that sticks with you and just keeps getting better with each telling.

< Spoilers – of a sort > On a crisp day, a little mouse sets off for a stroll in the woods. Along his way he encounters many foes who would devour him but for his cunning and quick thinking. Announcing that he is meeting up with a far scarier creature than they, he describes the Gruffalo, an animal so fierce and vile as to send all predators running for the hills. Feeling quite well of himself, the mouse is shocked to turn a corner and discover that his imaginary protector is real, and wishes to snack on him! Gathering his wits, the mouse leads the Gruffalo back through the woods, back past his predators and by the time he has woven his tale, has sent the Gruffalo running in fear.< /Spoilers >